


Through The Tinted Halls

by zanyjaney



Series: Long Past Dawn Universe [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: #Fic-A-Ton, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Gen, Light Angst, Minor Violence, Rey-Centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zanyjaney/pseuds/zanyjaney
Summary: Ever since that night, Rey holds a lot of regrets.Prequel companion piece to Long Past Dawn.
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Implied One-sided Finn/Rey, implied Poe Dameron/Finn - Relationship
Series: Long Past Dawn Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666951
Kudos: 2





	Through The Tinted Halls

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Take a future tense expression (like "I'll see you in hell" or "I don't know what I'm going to do") and make it past tense ("I saw you in hell" or "I don't know what i did"). That's your prompt.
> 
> Future Tense Expression: “I’ll see him down by the river.”
> 
> This is a Rey-centric prequel to LPD that explains what happens in chapter 1 of LPD.

_“I saw him down by the river.”_

She huffed, holding her hands out. The flickering embers passed through her nimble fingers. She had worn them out from years of wear and tear. She squinted at the horizon, noticing subtle movements from the river bank. 

“Who’s there?”

The figure walked to her campsite, the flames illuminating his face. He smiled widely, revealing the crooked teeth that laid beneath. His dark onyx eyes gaze over her. Every time his eyes moved, her body felt a thousand spiders crawling over her.

“Kira?”

She grinned, waving. 

What was his name again? Jacen? Ben? Jenkins?

His name didn’t matter, neither did hers. 

The man reached from his robes, retrieving a pouch. He deposits it into her hands. “Kira” shakes the bag. The coins inside clinked, producing a waterfall of sound.

“How much is inside?”

“Three months worth of rent.”

She scowls, crossing her arms. She clicks her tongue, throwing her hands up.

“Three months? Even if I take this into account, you still owe 9 months in rent.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes stony. 

“If you don’t have the money, just leave.”

The man shakes his head, clasping his hands together and pleads.

“I’ll pay it next week, I promise.”

She frowns, rubbing her forehead.

“Fine. I hope you keep good on that promise because there’s not much time left.”

_“Where did I last see him?”_

The kindled flame crackled, growing in intensity. Although it shone light onto her face, her face barely glowed. She covered her right eye, glowering. Rey clenched her hands, letting the blood flow in them. She holds up the note, reading the text. 

She heard loud footsteps lead to the shoreline. Her fingers trembled, and her legs wavered when she stood. She puts on her gloves and reaches for her holster.

The cold metallic weapon shone in the moonlight. Rey drags her boots against the mud, ignoring her feet’s quiet protest. She held onto her jacket, seeking warmth.

The man was perched by the shoreline in a red chair. She quickly hid the gun, walking to the man.

_“I saw him a week after our encounter. The creek’s beautiful during this time of year. I walked to the shoreline, and there he was.”_

“Kira?”

“Where’s the money?”

He directed her to a makeshift shack, leading her into a tiny room. He took a wood box, scooping out the coins. The man placed it into a pouch, tying it close with a rope. 

“Here. 10 months worth of rent.”

Rey grabbed the bag, putting it into her backpack. She walked back to the campfire, sitting. She waits for the right opportunity.

At night, the creek comes alive. The fireflies lit up the stream, the fishes jumped upstream, and the woodland animals slumbered.

She looks up, peering at the full moon. Rey pushes herself up, tiptoeing towards the shore. The man was at the shoreline again in the same red chair.

She goes behind him, pressing the object to his body. She closes her eyes, repeating a soft tune in her head. It grows louder, then it goes soft. She pulls, jumping back slightly.

He cries, falling forward. He lays there wounded, clutching his side. Water pools around him, blood seeping from his shirt.

“Ki-Kira! Help me! Someone shot me!”

Her body quivers as she looks to the man. Sweat drops stain his face and creases. He opens his mouth, shrieking as the bullet set in. 

Rey raises the gun up again, walking forward.

_“He was half submerged in the water, the blood mingling in.”_

“Kira! Please! We can talk about this!”

“Save it. There’s nothing more that can be done.”

“Is this about the rent?! I paid for it! I swear! That’s the money I owed.”

Rey frowns. She brushes her bang back, revealing a black eye.

“You lied to me. You did this!” 

She points at her eye. Rey rolls her sleeves up, revealing various bruises littering her arms.

“I didn’t know!”

“It’s too late. He sends his regards through me.”

She pushed the gun to the side of his head. His pleas, begs, and shouts ring in her head. They soon become silent, replaced by sobbing.

She opened her eyes. Tears clouded her vision as she let them drip down her cheeks. Her head throbbed as she reviewed Plutt’s instructions.

Rey picked the two empty casings off the ground. She searched the shack, scavenging for valuable scraps and objects. When she finished, she came back to the same campsite.

The embers engulfed the simple note. She waited, watching it slowly burn to a crisp. She extinguished the fire.   
  


_“Rey? Are you okay?”_

She clutches the phone to her ear, contemplating. The bags around her eyes grew pronounced every night. She’d been on edge, unable to close her eyes.

Nobody could ever know. She sighs, smiling weakly.

“I’m fine, Finn. It’s just Plutt giving me too many hours and not enough breaks.”

_“You could try working at Maz’s.”_

“As much as I would like to work there, I just haven’t been able to consider things. I need a new place that doesn’t involve Plutt being my landlord.”

_“You could always stay with me and Poe.”_

Rey chuckles.

“Does that mean I get to have more of that world class cooking?”

_“You know it! Imagine being roommates! Come on, Rey!”_

“That sounds tempting, but I have to decline. Mr. Tekka got back from the hospital, and I need to watch him for the time being. I also wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Finn laughs over the receiver.

_“You and Poe sound just alike. I swear it’s like you’re siblings.”_

“Really?”

_“Really,”_ Finn deadpans.

Rey’s heart slightly flutters as she bit her tongue.

“Finn.”

_“Yeah?”_

“I was thinking about us hanging out at Takodana this Thursday. Can you make it?”

_“Sorry, Rey.”_

Her eye twitches. She suppresses her internal screaming and exhales.

“I thought you wanted to hang out.”

_“I really do, but I already planned on going to this concert with Poe. Let me check something right quick.”_

She crossed her arms, looking outside her window to see a dumpster fire starting. Jakku felt more on the edge since last summer. She didn’t know what happened, but everyone kept picking fights with each other and acting more violent.

_“Rey, I have good news. Poe got us tickets to the Bahamas! Five people can go!”_

“That sounds great! Let me just make sure I can clear my schedule up. I got to go, Finn.”

“Bye Rey!”

She hangs up the phone when she hears a knock at the door.

“Coming!”

She unlocks it. Her smile quickly changes into a frown.

“He sends his regards through you, correct?”

Rey grumbles, puffing her cheeks as she looks at the person.

“He sends his regards through me.”


End file.
